Pride Of Dulcote, a best-price 20/1 (Victor Chandler) chance for the Gold Cup, was ante-post favourite for the Irish Hennessy but is now likely to stay on home soil for his prep for the Gold Cup, in the Ascot Chase.
Last year's winner Joncol, a best-price 50/1 (Stan James) shot for the Gold Cup, was also among the 10 horses due to contest one of the key races in the Irish fixture list.
As well as the Hennessy, Sunday afternoon's fixture was also due to feature three other Grade One events, including Mikael D'Haguenet in the Dr PJ Moriarty Chase and Zaidpour in the Deloitte Hurdle. However, the four Grade One races have now been rescheduled for this Saturday (12 February).
Whilst Leopardstown was a wash-out yesterday, there were Festival pointers on Saturday with Champion Hurdle trial races at both Sandown and Ffos Las, both won by Nicky Henderson runners, although in contrasting fashion.
Binocular was far from impressive against moderate rivals in the Contenders Hurdle at Sandown, whilst Oscar Whisky hacked up in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las, suggesting he is ready to line up against his stablemate in the real thing at the Festival.
Binocular was sent off at 1/10 to beat three horses, but came off the bridle before the final flight, at which point he still trailed his pacemaker, Ruthenoise, by a couple of lengths. The race was then handed to him when the leader made a hash of the last, though Binocular would surely have won in any case.
"He wasn't impressive at all," said Tony McCoy, who added that his mount had jumped to the left down the back straight. But Binocular put up a similarly uninspired performance in this race last year before hammering the Champion Hurdle field last March.
In between, he had been whisked over to Ireland by his owner, JP McManus, where Binocular spent 10 days getting intensive examination and treatment from McManus's vets. There are no plans to do anything similar this time, according to Frank Berry, the owner's representative.
Tom Symonds, Henderson's assistant, did his best to strike an upbeat note, saying: "It looked like, before, he'll come on another step for that. The next step is to give him a bit of time and then crack on towards Cheltenham in March."
Asked about Binocular's lack of sparkle, Symonds said: "It's been well documented that he doesn't do an awful lot at home and he can be quite idle."
Bookmakers reacted by easing the reigning champion to best-price 10/3 (888sport) for the 2011 Champion Hurdle.
Meanwhile, Oscar Whisky is a best-price 14/1 (Bet365) after his Ffos Las success.
The six year-old had lost his unbeaten record over hurdles when fourth in the Supreme Novices' on his final start of last season but returned to winning ways on his reappearance when showing an impressive turn of foot over an extended two and a half miles at Cheltenham.
This race had been his target all season (he carries the colours of Ffos Las owner Dai Walters) and the 2/7 shot cruised into the lead under Barry Geraghty after the third-last flight and soon saw off his four rivals.
There were plenty of positives to be taken from his performance as he travelled strongly and jumped well and whilst success may have proved little, it did at least produce clarity as to his Cheltenham target, Henderson all but ruling out a tilt at the World Hurdle.
"I think we'll stick to the Champion Hurdle route," the trainer said. "I wouldn't have thought he would go three miles. There's some improvement there, Barry said he gave a blow. He'll come on a good bit and I think that [the Champion Hurdle] is what we will do."
Also featured at Sandown on Saturday, was The Totescoop6 Heroes Handicap Hurdle over 2m6f. This race has been a significant guide to the Festival over the last 20 years as the only handicap to have featured more winners at Cheltenham during that period has been the Totesport Trophy at Newbury (this Saturday).
The winners of eight Festival races have contested this prize over the last two decades and not just the same Festival races either as winners of the Pertemps Final, Coral Cup, World Hurdle and Ryanair Chase have first lined up for this Grade Three handicap, as indeed did Beech Road who then dropped down six furlongs in trip to win the Champion Hurdle.
Winner Kilcrea Kim justified strong support to maintain his trainer's excellent record in this contest and connections mooted a possible tilt at the Albert Bartlett for their progressive Irish point winner who can currently be backed at best-price 20/1 (totesport) for the three-mile novices' hurdle.
He travelled and jumped well and rallied gamely when joined close home by Alfie Spinner having got a little lonely out in front. He should stay three miles but didn't exactly see his race out strongly over that trip in a competitive handicap at Cheltenham on his previous start.
Alfie Spinner is progressing well and looks sure to appreciate a step back up to three miles having been left behind by the winner from the turn for home. He looked rather laboured in making the ground but dug deep to record another career best and has earned a rest having had two quite hard races in the space of three weeks; he could be freshened up for the Pertemps Final at the Festival for which he is best-price 20/1 (Bet365).
Finally, Medermit also put down a Festival marker on Saturday when he held off Captain Chris to win the Scilly Isles Novice Chase, with the field finishing well strung out. After sleeping on the choice, his trainer Alan King has chosen to aim the grey at the two-mile Arkle Chase rather than the meeting's newest addition, the two-and-a-half mile Jewson Chase:
"Choc [Thornton, his stable jockey] and I had a long chat," said King, "and we feel the way he travelled and jumped on Saturday, he deserves a shot at the big one. Short or long, he was brilliant at his fences, very professional, and did everything we could have asked in what looked a proper race."
Medermit is now best-price 6/1 (Ladbrokes) for the Arkle and it's worth noting that all but 2 of the last 11 Arkle Trophy winners, were rated 142+ over hurdles and half of the last 10 Arkle winners (Tiutchev, Moscow Flyer, Azertyuiop, My Way De Solzen and Tidal Bay) entered the race as the highest-rated hurdler in the line up, a position Medermit (158) comfortably holds over those who appear to be his chief rivals, Finian's Rainbow and Ghizao, both rated more than a stone behind Alan King's grey over hurdles. Starluck (160) is currently the highest-rated hurdler amongst the Arkle entries but he has yet to jump a fence in public and it seems highly unlikely that he would turn up in that race, whilst next best behind Medermit is Rock Noir (152) and then Captain Chris (146).
Captain Chris deserves plenty of credit for finishing second on Saturday, as he wasn't fluent at a number of fences and made a bad mistake at the fifth, when appearing to take off too soon, causing Richard Johnson to take one hand of the reins. His best form over hurdles came on good spring ground and better can be expected when he gets those conditions which may help his jumping too; like the winner, he has the option of the Arkle, but may head for the Jewson for which he is best-price 10/1 (Skybet).
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Binocular, left, was helped by a bad mistake from Ruthenoise at the final hurdle in the feature race at Sandown on Saturday
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